How To Find Freight To Haul

As a carrier or broker, the easiest way to find freight to transport is to use a quality load board such as FR8Star. Customers in need of hauling services for finished goods, raw materials, commodities, foodstuffs, livestock, and much more post loads to solicit bids from intermediaries and trucking firms with suitable trailers and capabilities. If you haul a load safely and on time, you can probably secure repeat business in the future from that customer and others they talk to.

Outside of the load board realm, you may have to use middlemen (such as a dispatcher service and/or a broker for carriers) or do a little creative detective work to drum up new leads and then contact them to see if you can be of direct assistance. Phone calls and personal visits to the persons in charge of shipping are the most effective ways to get your foot in the door, either for current or future business.

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Finding Shippers

Federal, state, and local government agencies often pay well to transport all manner of goods and supplies. Some examples at the federal level are the U.S. Postal Service, FEMA, and the military. You might get registered as a government contractor, or become a partner with a transport company with an active contract. You will be required to have insurance and possibly a special clearance, depending on the type of load. The General Services Administration and beta.Sam.gov (the current home for FedBizOpps) are great resources to start with.

Check the membership lists of industry associations and organizations for the types of companies you’d like to haul for, such as for retail store chains, manufacturers, or car dealerships. You may need to join an association, if allowable, before you can see the member lists. Your local chamber of commerce might help you identify businesses and organization chapters in your area, as can industrial directories such as the Industry Week 500 and MacRae’s Blue Book. For opportunities to haul livestock, crops, and produce, the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service’s directories and business listings are good starting points, as are local co-ops.

If you’ve identified a particular industry for which you would prefer to provide transport, consider attending conventions and events where their representatives gather. Networking can lead to new business opportunities, even indirectly.

Using FR8Star To Find Freight Loads

Having established its bona fides in the equipment and heavy haul market, FR8Star is rapidly expanding its lead intake for general freight. The platform is becoming a crucial source of outbound and backhaul opportunities along your most consistently travelled routes.

You can find freight leads on the main FR8Star load board, or build your own preferred load board with filtering options such as load type and minimum/maximum weight. The platform makes it easy to book loads, contact stakeholders, and seamlessly plan pick-up and drop-off less-than-loads (LTLs) along the route. Transport companies can offer book-it-now rates based on their truck and trailer configurations and locations. FR8Star lets brokers and carriers accept payment via processing providers such as CurrencyPay, CardConnect, Global Payments, PayPal, and Square. Users can sign up to receive notifications related to new loads, winning bids, and more.

FR8Star ranks its carriers and brokers in tiers according to customer feedback and the number of jobs they’ve completed through the platform. By climbing the tier ranking system and accruing positive ratings related to overall service, value, communication, timeliness, and care of goods, you can build a reputation with FR8Star users and encourage repeat business down the road.

An upcoming mobile app will provide carriers with a fast and easy way to find new loads along hot routes, while offering transport companies and shippers live load tracking and route updates. Of course, FR8Star representatives will be available throughout the process to resolve any issues and make the process go smoothly.